Dumb books this summer.

I have been off TV and movies for the most part of a year. I tend to binge on this stuff, then for no apparent reason, I'm done. I have been on an extended reading binge, like a book a day kind of binge. But I have noticed a kind of weird thing going on . I read excellent books. I like political analysis, inspirational writings, biographies. I really love a good biography. I always have something from these categories going. I read a well written, intellectually challenging book, then I read some of the dumbest, worst written things out there.

The thing is, in the summer especially, I read the good stuff almost like it is work, then I race to read the crap. It is a lot like eating your spinach so you can get to the ice cream. The weird thing is that this is a summer phenomenon for me. I used to always look for a good "beach book." That wasn't a bad idea, reading a not very challenging read that you could fall asleep and then pick up again with no work. But what I am doing now is a little more perverse. I just read the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. Can't even remember the name and I read it yesterday. It was so dumb and predictable that I could anticipate every line before I read it. And yet I kept putting down an excellent biography to get backto the junk.

The question I ask myself is: "Is this what hot weather does to the brain?" Or is this like any addiction. I used to eat a lot of M&Ms. They always were a disappointment. I really don't like milk chocolate and if I did, I would hope I would buy better. But for a long while I picked some up almost daily and ate them and then felt stupid. It is pretty much the same with the dumb books.

I assume this will pass as it has other years. If not, I will have to have a little talk with myself and use some discipline. Hate that. But as with any addiction it makes me wonder why, when I know it will feel bad, do I keep doing it?